ALBANY, N.Y. — The Tunnel to Towers Foundation said Tuesday it will pay the mortgages on the homes of the two New York City police officers who were shot and killed in Brooklyn on Saturday.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Frank Siller, the foundation's CEO, said the decision comes after Siller overheard Cuomo's concerns Monday outside Wenjian Liu's home about Liu's family being able to stay there.

Siller said after Cuomo's comments, it became apparent that the foundation would assume the mortgage payments on the homes for Liu and Rafael Ramos.

Liu and Ramos were shot "execution-style" while in a parked patrol car in Brooklyn.

"When my brother Stephen died on 9/11 along with 342 other firefighters, our family decided that the best way to honor his memory was by supporting first responders. This — and the fact that for the last several years, Tunnel to Towers has been building 'smart homes' for those catastrophically injured in war — makes it fitting that in recognition of the sacrifice of these fallen officers, we ensure that their family homes are financially secure," Siller said in a statement.

Siller's foundation has provided millions of dollars in aid to Superstorm Sandy victims, and it has attracted more than 25,000 participants around the world in its annual Tunnel to Towers Run.

The foundation's website is currently accepting donations from those who wish to contribute toward the payment of the mortgages for the fallen officers' families.

Cuomo praised the foundation's decision and continued to press for calm in the wake of the officers' deaths and amid protests over a grand jury not indicting a police officer in the chokehold death of Eric Garner in Staten Island in July.

Cuomo refused to take sides in the fight between New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and Pat Lynch, the president of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association. Lynch had said City Hall has blood on its hands over the officers' deaths.